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March 7, 2013

ASUS announces the Tranformer AiO, PC and tablet runs Windows 8 and Android. This is an all-in-one that is really more-than-one. Fully integrated, you are presented with a powerful desktop PC, running Windows 8, Intel Core CPU, a bunch of memory and a minimum 1TB of storage. As a tablet, you can keep running Windows 8 in remote desktop mode or you can run Android Jelly Bean on the device with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor.When we are done outlining the specifications and price, you can see the potential the Tranformer AiO has to be a real hit. Obviously as a PC it will handle all the day-to-day tasks you throw at it. The PC Station is the desktop. The specifications start with an Intel Core i5 processor (upgradable to an i7), 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage (upgradable), four USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, HDMI-out, 3-in-1 memory card slot, DVD drive, Bluetooth 4.0 (which the mouse and keyboard use), Wi-Fi in all the flavors and an Ethernet port.

With the HDMI port, you can plug in a second monitor, and then run Windows on that display while the main panel runs Android. The display is an HD LED-backlit unit which ASUS claim will offer 178-degree viewing angles. Switching between Android and Windows is accomplished with a simple press of a button.

The display detaches and it becomes the tablet of course, with the aforementioned quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (with microSD support). The screen itself is an HD 1920x1080 LED backlit panel. The only caveat (as far as tablets go) is that it is an 18.4-inch display. That’s a big tablet. There is an easy to use handle on the back, as well as a kickstand to prop it up while it is in use. The lone camera is a front facing 1MP deal which will work just fine. We do not see anyone heaving the tablet around to try and get a quick picture.

For such a large tablet, the dimensions are not completely unworkable, 11.57 inches tall, 18.34 inches wide and 0.7 inches thick. It does weigh 5.3 pounds though, so it is a good thing that it has a kickstand.

ASUS will have the Transformer available early in the second quarter this year, with some reports indicating April 12th as a launch date. Pricing starts at $1,299 which is not bad for a full-blown PC with few shortcuts and an HD Android Jelly Bean tablet. If the size of the tablet does not bother you (we can totally understand why some people would be attracted to its size), you may have found computer and tablet nirvana.